Sun, Oct 09, 2005 page2

• ICRT, listeners ponder much reduced future

  BATTLE OF THE AIRWAVES The realignment of radio frequencies means that many in the country, Taiwanese and foreigners alike, will no longer be able to hear an old friend

  • BY JIMMY CHUANG / STAFF REPORTER
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  International Community Radio Taipei (ICRT) seems to be struggling to survive as the only English-language radio station in this country as the Government Information Office (GIO) rearranges the distribution of radio frequencies.

  The GIO is asking the station to either downgrade to a "medium power" broadcaster -- but keep the same frequency -- or relocate to a higher frequency to maintain its full-coverage as a "high power" broadcaster.

  According to a source at the station, who wished to remain anonymous, during the Martial Law era, ICRT, the Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) and the Police Radio Service were the three major "high power" broadcasters" that were used to resist the interference in Taiwan's radio communications from the Chinese government.

  "We were actually helping the government back in that era," the source said.

  Just a few days ago, the source said, the GIO issued an official notice to the station, telling it that ICRT would be downgraded from a "high power" broadcaster to a "medium power" broadcaster because its current frequency -- FM 100.7 -- had been re-designated for "medium power" broadcasters.

  The source would not confirm just when the shift was scheduled to take place.

  ICRT has three transmitters, located on Yangmingshan in Taipei, Leshan (樂山) in Miaoli County and Chishan (旗山) in Kaohsiung. Each transmitter covers an area within a 60km radius.

  With the three transmitters, ICRT can reach most of the west coast, from north to south.

  However, according to the GIO notice, once the station becomes a "medium power" broadcaster, the coverage for each transmitter will drop to a radius of 20km.

  ICRT hopes to retain its current broadcasting area, but the two options offered by the GIO would cost too much money, the source said.

  "If ICRT becomes a `medium power' station, we will need another six to 10 transmitters to maintain a full coverage of the west coast," the source said.

  In the meantime, the GIO has offered ICRT another alternative -- to move from the FM 100.7 frequency to something in the range beyond FM 104, which has been designated for "high power" broadcasters.

  "As for the GIO's [alternative] proposal, we might need to upgrade our equipment and spend a lot of money on promotion [of the new frequency]," the source said. "That is not something we are capable of at this moment."

  If ICRT becomes a "medium power" station, listeners in several of its major markets, including Hsinchu and Tainan, would no longer be able to pick up the station.

  "Once we say farewell to them, they will not be able to receive instant news in English and students will lose their opportunity to sharpen their English comprehension ability, too," the source said.

  When asked for comments, GIO officials said they did not want to make ICRT change, either, but they have to do what they have to do.

  "This is a complicated situation. We cherish the value of ICRT's existence as the only English-language radio station. We also recognize its contribution to local foreign communities," said a senior GIO official who wished to remain anonymous.

  "We hope this situation will work out all right in the near future, but now it seems to be at a dead end," the GIO official said.

  "The reshuffle of the radio frequencies is required by law and needs to be carried out," the official said.

  The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has expressed its concern about the station's loss of coverage and sent several staff members to visit the station a few weeks ago.

  "We believe that ICRT provides a very important service for Taiwan's expat community," said Dana Shell Smith, AIT's spokeswoman.

  Organizations such as the Community Service Center, the American Chamber of Commerce in Taipei and the European Chamber of Commerce in Taipei have been lobbying the government to keep ICRT at its existing bandwidth so that it can reach the largest number of listeners, arguing the station provides a vital public safety service.

  "If they [foreign listeners] cannot hear us, they will not be able to hear information about major natural disasters, such as earthquakes," the station source said.

  ICRT was officially established on April 16, 1979.

  It took over the radio station that had been established by the US military, the Armed Forces Network Taiwan (AFNT), for US troops based in Taiwan, with both an FM and an AM channel, in a later time during the 90s.

  The AM channel -- AM 576 -- was targeted at younger listeners, with 24-hour pop music and DJ shows.

  The station was forced to close the AM channel in 1993 due to financial difficulties and the AM DJs were either given slots on the FM channel or dismissed.

  With the end of the Martial Law era and the opening up of more bandwiths to private radio stations, ICRT faced increasing competition for the youth market and it has struggled over the years to keep its identity while appealing to a broader audience.

  In the 1990s, DJs were told that only two Mandarin-language songs could be played in an hour. But over the years the amount of Chinese-language music and Chinese language has been increased.

  When new management took over last year, ICRT was given the mandate to become more "localized." As a result, more conversation in Mandarin and other Chinese-language music was heard -- including Hakka -- during ICRT's regular programming.

  This major shift of the station's programs sparked intense discussions on the Internet and within the foreign community about the future of ICRT.

  Now the station faces an even bigger challenge.
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